Joel Salatin: How to Prepare for A Future Increasingly Defined By Localized Food & Energy

I started using 'Salatin style' pens for broilers 5 years ago, right after I finished "Omnivore's Dilemma". Before that, I've raised them in static pens.

We butcher them anywhere betwixt 8-16 weeks old, to reach a carcass weight of 4.5-10 (!) lbs. A 10 lb chicken has a higher meat:waste ration (I believe), so if your feed inputs are cheap enough, or your food conversion ratio (FCR) is low enough, or both, it may be cost effective to raise CRX to this weight.

But I don't care, because I love giant chickens! I can feed my family all week on one 10 lb bird. Roasted, salad, sandwiches, soup & stock...Forrest Gump's shrimp company ain't got nothing on us!

I used to hand pluck, and that was fine, then I built a Whizbang Chicken Plucker from a plan book and parts kit I bought from another radical, religious fella (that's a joke, son) over at http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.co... . With the plucker, I saw that I could now scale up, so I can sell the surplus to reduce my per unit cost. (Which is my main goal on the homestead, and my definition of a 'farm': grow enough to feed the folks that work, with a surplus to sell for cash or barter.)

After I learned a couple magic numbers for a good scald,  and started using shears*, I can process about a dozen birds an hour. I've outlined my "butchering by the steps" below, but there're tons of online resources for the Show Me State crowd ;)...

Magic numbers: Scald your birds at exactly 145 F, for exactly 90 seconds, dunking to get water in among the feathers. When you can easily pull the wing primaries out, the bird is ready to pluck. Look for skin coming off as a symptom of too hot/too long a scald.

By the steps:

   1. hang the birds upside down and slit throats, saving the blood which will congeal quickly. Dry this as a garden amendment.
   2. scald by the numbers: Scald your birds at exactly 145 F, for exactly 90 seconds, dunking to get water in among the feathers. When you can easily pull the wing primaries out, the bird is ready to pluck. Look for skin coming off as a symptom of too hot/too long a scald.
   3. pluck birds. I run them for a minute at a time, spraying a bit of cold water in the plucker. My plucker gets most feathers off the first time if the scald is correct. sometimes the armpits need a bit of manual pluckin'.
   4. Eviscerate: USE SHEARS* to cut off legs and head, put in your stock pot bucket for later cookin'. carefully trim around anus (don't nick and get poop on the meat) and pull slightly out with the intestine attached. Slit skin at neck, then cut neck off as far down as you can. You can rip it off, actually. Then loosen crop and esophagus. Reach into gut cavity, enlarging hole as necessary. Reach way up and get the heart, wiggle your fingers to get the lungs if you're good, and pull all out. Trim away the organs you want and put liver, heart in a bowl of ice water. Gizzards are excellent stewed in Italian dressing. Yeah buddy.
   5. QC: squirt with a hose, especially around the lungs. You'll want to get the bird in the ice bath ASAP, so you may want to wait to pull pin feathers etc until after its chilled, and you move your operation to the kitchen.
   6. Weigh & Bag: AFter they're chilled, I take them to the kitchen. We do a final check, pat dry, put in a poultry bag I get from a butcher, and weigh. We tag them according to weight and quality (sometimes damage occurs during plucking), then either put them on ice, the fridge or double bag them for the freezer. You can submerge a bagged chicken to push the air out.
   7. Aging: the consensus seems to be that a bird's tenderness improves with up to 3 days of aging uncovered in the fridge. I use this for all poultry, especially game birds. I try to encourage air flow in the carcass by putting the bird on a roasting rack in a pan to catch the drips. Sooo dang tasty.
   8. Cooking: nothing beats a rub with a lime (then throw it inside the cavity), a shake of garlic salt (we make our own) and  a squirt of olive oil.

* Shears: I grew up hunting and fishing. I've been carrying a pocket knife since I was in 6th grade. Our family reunions always included the 'knife hand around', where a young man's credibility was marked by the sturdiness, practicality but especially the sharpness of the knife he carried. I love knives, love to use them and collect them. Butchering chickens, IMO is not the right job for this tool. Sharp shears are safer, faster, more precise, and less likely to cause punctures to intestines, which may result in contaminated meat. And, if you are working fast, and have a lot of birds, you WILL nick yourself. Then you've got an open wound coated with chicken guts and fat. So, invest in good shears, and learn to sharpen them.

I've raised CRX, 'colored broilers' (aka "freedom rangers"** etc.), cockerals from laying breeds, and 'dual purpose' breeds. I figure it takes about 20 lbs of feed to grow a 5 lb bird (FCR=4.0). So, to grow 100 birds, you'll need up to a ton of feed. At $.40/lb for 'non corn-soy-gmo, organic feed', delivered to my farm, that's only $2.00 per 5 lb bird, plus the, say, $2.00 for each chick. I think that's a decent deal for some dang good chicken meat! Of course, you can buy bulk feed that's not 'non' anything, for about $.11/lb out here in western WA. GIGO, tho...

By far, the best bird for meat is the CRX. Some local growers get on their high horse about 'inhumane breeds', which is pure marketing poppycock. Humane is in the treatment of the birds, the life they lead up until butcher day, and is a cornerstone of the Salatin model: let them express their 'chickenness'.

I introduce greens and grit at a very early age, and put them in pasture at about 3-4 weeks old, depending on conditions.

i try and find a local hatchery to buy from, and usually your local feed stores have the best handle on who that may be. But, I've used Murray McMurray most of all, and have no issues. Actually, if you don't mind the little extra price, its a good thing to buy from the local feedstore: you're supporting an important local biz, and if you buy 3-6 day olds, you've let the store experience the usual mortality from shipping. You can pick the strongest looking birdies out of a huge, fuzzy peeping mass of chicks!

I've heard of a hatchery or two who are working on a CRX strain that are 'better foragers'. I don't know how they're doing with that.

** "freedom rangers" is the US jingoistic term describing "red French broilers", which in France are exclusively grown for their pastured, "Lable Rouge" certification. I think they suck compared to CRX; they're harder to pluck, take longer to get to weight, are 'tougher', and forage no better than my CRX. In other words, it takes just as much work and feed inputs to get a slower, skinnier, tougher bird. No thanks!

And by the way, I still eat French Fries, French Toast and French Bread...

Creationism is certainly not a fringe personal belief in the U.S.  According to recent Gallup polls, around 40% of Americans adhere to a form of it http://www.gallup.com/poll/27847/Majority-Republicans-Doubt-Theory-Evolution.aspx

Now, I'm an atheist and a plant geneticist to boot, so I most likely cleave more to your personal beliefs than Mr. Salatin's, but can't a man have good things to say about farming and yet be a creationist at the same time?  I don't like his stance against GMOs either  (shared by many participants on these sites, for some reason), but clearly he's got  valuable knowledge and experience on other aspects of farming.  There's no need to police the personal beliefs of guests.  The open marketplace of ideas makes life interesting. 

Scribe,

Creationism does not necessarily deny science.

For example, the Catholic Church position (Wikipedia) " is an example of theistic evolution, also known as evolutionary creation, stating that faith and scientific findings regarding human evolution are not in conflict, though humans are regarded as a special creation, and that the existence of God is required to explain both monogenism and the spiritual component of human origins. Moreover, the Church teaches that the process of evolution is a planned and purpose-driven natural process, actively guided by God."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_evolution

We should not ask people who deny science for advice about farming, because at their core they are anti-scientific.

If you do this, you will marginalize a large portion of the contributing population who can contribute positively to help society adapt to our current predicament. Your views are the equivalent of "belief apartheid", and are akin to what the position the MSM took in the period leading up to the housing crisis. It is vitally important to hear all sides of a story, and not just the views that fit into ones own view of the world.

To get this thread back on topic, I found a copy of the film Food Inc on You Tube, which stars Joel Salatin doing what he does best. Without this community, I wouldn't have gained the benefit of his wisdom ...

Wikipedia Review

Food, Inc. is a 2008 American documentary film directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Kenner. The film examines corporate farming in the United States, concluding that agribusiness produces food that is unhealthy, in a way that is environmentally harmful and abusive of both animals and employees. The film is narrated by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser.

The film's first segment examines the industrial production of meat (chicken, beef, and pork), calling it inhumane and economically and environmentally unsustainable. The second segment looks at the industrial production of grains and vegetables (primarily corn and soy beans), again labeling this economically and environmentally unsustainable. The film's third and final segment is about the economic and legal power, such as food label laws, of the major food companies the profits of which are based on supplying cheap but contaminated food, the heavy use of petroleum-based chemicals (largely pesticides and fertilizers), and the promotion of unhealthy food consumption habits by the American public.

Official Food Inc Website Link

I also recommend a severely conscience bashing book that lifted the lid on the fast food industry back in 2001 : -

Fast Food Nation ~ by Erich Schlosser [Link to first chapter]

Independent review at Amazon.com

I picked up this book the moment I saw it mostly because I've always known that fast food is "bad for you" - but I've been both afraid to know why and curious at the same time. After all, I've been hearing the other side of the argument my whole life. I've been pummeled by fast food ads - and eaten plenty of fast food - for a ridiculously long time. Why do I want to stay ignorant about it?

Those of you expecting an update on John Robbins' "Diet For A New America" will be disappointed. Schlosser has not crafted a scientific slam against fast food joints, but rather a thorough examination of their motives and histories, with a strong emphasis on the people - from both sides of the coin. The time he devotes to the personal stories of those whose lives have been forever changed by fast food - from the rags-to-riches tale of Carl Karcher to the tragic story of a big-hearted rancher named Hank - are largely what keeps "Fast Food Nation" both emotionally provoking and tangible throughout.

If this book were merely a saber-toothed diatribe against fast food corporations, it couldn't allow itself such concessions and would probably come across as socialist tubthumping to all but the converted. Instead, lengthy establishing essays on the history, ideologies, and present state of the communities and corporations discussed are a welcome introduction (and counterpoint to) the individual stories of struggle, greed, and survival.

While he makes no secret where his sympathies lie, Schlosser often reminded me more of Wendell Berry than John Robbins, as he bravely attempts to "tell it like it is" from more of a "pro-human" as opposed to an "anti-corporate" perspective. In doing so, the dehumanizing aspects of all global corporations (and the effects of NAFTA and the Telecommunications Act of '96) are supplied a provoking reference point.

By my standards, "Fast Food Nation" is a fine debut accomplishment for the author and a welcome book for our increasingly homogenized (and de-regulated) times. The story of fast food, a quotidian experience for many, has never seemed quite so impressive, scary, and profound. My education began here.

In his introduction to "Fast Food Nation", Schlosser says that he's interested in fast food "both as commodity and metaphor", and indeed, this well-written tome is as much an examination on the titular product as an able primer on the encroachment of large corporations into the lives of working Americans.

An interview with Eric Schlosser : -

Paul

Paul , 

  WHEW   My first thought was  does this guy know what battle he is in for ?  Then my mind went to can I even imagine  how many people will go hungry or starve without fast food??      I would challange everyone to just write down what food you buy instead of growing yourself .    It is a a full time job to grow your own veggies , fruit , grains, milk, cheese, meat .   I am serious  I do not think most ppl are ready to even consider such a thing.   There needs to be a book about what it takes  from the seed to the table .

  Yes Sir , I think facing the fact  of where your food comes from is amazing .     I consider my family and what amounts of food it takes to keep everyone  fed  in the back of my mind .. how many peach trees does it take ,  do I have enough  pecan trees planted ,  what if we have a bad year of tomato or bean crop. What if the popcorn crop fails !!!      It is enough to blow my mind at times .    Oats  how much oats to feed the family and the animals .   Can we catch enough fish ,   will butchering one cow be enough ? 

I am serious I still have to go to the store and buy some things .  Thankfully I have a basement full  because I am not totally set up for self suffiecency  even yet .  

I do not sell one thing off this place that can be traced .  NOT even a jar of walnut tincture  or dozen eggs !  You pay cash  you do not get it .   I have gotten 3 letters from the Govt. wanting info on my hog operation  .. I do not know if this comes from selling a couple pigs at the 4-H fair a few years ago or if it  is because I took some to the locker to be butchered instead of doing it here at home .

In return I only pay cash  for the neighbors milk  or trade them  back in yogurt or cheese .   

THIS IS ALL A FULL TIME JOB I KID YOU NOT !   I am willing to bet there is no way many people are going to be able to do it .  I REALLY NEED TO GET THIS GENTLEMEN'S  BOOK  because I do not see convience foods going away until they are forced too .  I see people selling out to the beast first .

ALL this is not to say that I do not agree with what he said in the video as true ... I just don't see how there is going to be big change .  Japan can  not feed itself at all .   I planted rice in their fields .. I bought raw milk from their dairy  ... They ship in major percentage of their food even to feed the cows . .       I am rattling on  sorry ... I am afraid for many people   ... How many do you know that will not eat a carrot ??

Anyway thank you for bringing up these subjects so tha I do not become complacent  as well .

Off to town to get the durn hunting liecense for the kiddos .. can't even go Dove hunting without the Govt  wanting in on the action .  And you HAVE to give them your Soc.SEC. Number on that paper .. great ; (

FM 

FM 

   Maybe caught me on a bad day .... I  can  just see people getting very ugly when they can't afford to buy that snickers bar  or potato chip .      When it is taking me so much time and energy to  make say ...pickle relish  ..  You have got to think way ahead  making the vinegar , growing the onion ,cucs, peppers , spices  .. I had to buy sugar  and salt ..My  bees ran off so I could not use honey and  I have no clue what we would do without salt ??

  Even grinding and canning it takes more than a day to have it ready on the shelf .  Almost  every single thing we stick in our mouth  is very labor / fuel intensive.  And the mess to clean up !!  

Yes,Sir, hope to get some reading time in soon .    Bushels of tomatoes, beans , and elderberries  screaming at me to get them into jars for the next few days .

Yes I can see that the grass feed animals may be the easiest food of all  BUT  even then  you are not going to have beef for two to three years   and  if you do not have a broody hen you better have  someone with a good incubator.  The neighbor kids did hatch some in the attic this summer  as it was warm enough ..  Here is an experiment  for you all .   

  I had better get back at it  .. just tired is all . Too many people fighting over piddly things all the while they are looking to the Govt. to  come up with the answers . 

K  got to get the hubby a lunch so he can  go run a train ..  Egg Salad sandwich with pickle relish , right .

FM 

I am very suspisious that the county went up and down the roads spraying chemicals on the plum thickets .. They look burnt  .   Maybe they are trying to keep people from  even feeding themselves on natural fruits .

isildur - If it hasn't already been said, welcome to CM.com.

At the risk of stirring up emotional debate could/would you provide some amplifying info on why you and Salatin (and many others) have differenig viewpoints on GMO crops?

FWIW, I don't know what I don't know, but I am leaning towards the benevolent neglect side of the argument.  It seems to me that genetically modifying an organism to boost crop yield and increase resistance to insects and/or disease is generally a "good" thing.  But then there is the whole specter of the 'kill gene'.  You can't help but wonder if the studies to support conclusions that it is "safe" have been allowed to fully run their course. At the same time, the arguments that they "aren't safe" are probably based more on emotion than science and haven't received sufficient academic scrutiny and rigor either.  I could be wrong.

The arguments that they contain recombinant DNA retroviruses for an engineered die-off so the lizard bankers can take over the world generates little more than an eye roll and passing interest. 

Any expert insight or info you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

I grew up on a farm in Iowa and helped my dad with the corn and soybean fields, and I have a Ph.D. in genetics from UW-Madison. so I do have great interest in this issue.  I don't have much time during weekdays, but I'll put together a primer this weekend.

Farmers choose to buy Monsanto's products because if they do their yields are larger and the total amount of chemicals that they need to spray on their fields to achieve those yields is less.  Farmers are not stupid-- they still have fertile soil after years of using Round-up.  People love to talk about what farmers should be doing, however, and I bet that won't change

Glyphosate (Round-up) is actually one of the least injurious herbicides ever produced, and disappears really quickly (days) when it gets to the soil, degrading into carbon dioxide and nitrogen.  It's really a miracle herbicide, and unfortunately it won't be useful indefinitely because weeds are already evolving resistance to it.  .

The patent issue is a real problem, and in my opinion our strict patent laws slow down progress and should be reformed. The ability to patent natural genes is quite scary in general, and really stupid policy too, but thankfully it appears that the lawmakers are coming around.   However it's a problem in every technological industry.  Google is buying up companies and their patents left and right.  A reform bill was recently passed (the America Invents Act) but I haven't yet looked into how it will affect the situation.

Nice point ao.

You've reminded me of a recent news item back in December by Democracy Now! It lays sway to the tip of the iceberg on the colossus that is Mount Monsanto : -

Let it also be said that there are plenty of creditable hits to be found over the formidable nature of the actions that Monsanto has taken over the control of global food supply simply by doing a Google search. The last count was 16,800,000.

More importantly for this community though, is the destruction of small scale farming right across the United States. This documentary below should nail home any doubts, though it still leaves the issue of quite how upward of 9.3 billion people are supposed to be fed by 2050 - this, and of course against diminishing global fossil fuel supply : -

The World According to Monsanto

Paul

Isildur22,

I think you're lumping an entire set of people who are diverse and of many perspectives, into a model that best fits your bias. That is O.K. My world will not end because of this, and neither will yours. However, there is a hope in me that looking into alternate perspectives might colour your own.

From a logical perspective then, it isn't a case that - I or anyone else here - can corrupt you, but to aid you in seeing that there are more than two ways to go about your task of teaching the unenlightened enough details for them to go away and find out for themselves.

I am in no doubt to the personally financial - and to the human benefit to a growing population of humanity - to the value of their survival or famine through modern mechanical and fossil fuel produced crop; or indeed the genetic modification of these crops to create greater abundance. However, what with the state of our soon to be obvious global energy constraint emerging far too quickly on the horizon, I must insist you pay more attention to what the outcome is in the long-term of modern agricultural method since the advent of the green revolution in the 1950's, if the descent of this vital input continues its unstoppable decline.

It is all well and good to talk of such things as modern agricultural method to alay fears in the present, but what is the model of production going to be in the near future, with such price-spikes in fertilizer (natural gas input) of 2008 and 2009 set to continue?

This isn't a site that wishes to destroy any attempts to prove the benefit of modernity, even if certain types of informed - or disinformed - post ( as is their right in regard to imparciality) on an open public forum. It does not mean that it is the majority of the forum' opinion that flouridation, the John Birch Society, or even Greenpeace are all our bed-fellows.

As yet again I've taken to reply to one of your posts, I'm curious as to whether you have watched through the Crash Course, which is the glue that holds this forum together.

Below are chapters 17 a) b) and c), ripped from You Tube in regard to Peak Oil. However, a greater standard of polish to this series can be found if you go to the top left hand corner of the Home Page to here : -

Paul